ICT’s Entrepreneur of the Year started young. Rajitha Dahanayake was 29 years old when he and his partners founded eMarketingEye together. He became interested in ecommerce as a Trainee at SasiaNet (Pvt) Ltd and now he knew enough about the fledging field to bet that it would be the next big thing. “At this time eCommerce was very new to Sri Lanka,” he says, remembering the turn of the millennium. “We had the freedom to try new things to see what would best work for the company.”
Rajitha’s instincts paid off – not only was he individually recognized at the recent National Best Quality ICT Awards Ceremony, but they were awarded a Bronze award for version 1.0 of BookingEye, an Internet Booking Engine. “I see this as recognition for the company, for what we have achieved as a team.”
Their wins are a symptom of the ecommerce boom overtaking the island. “Sri Lankan companies have started to see the value and power of emarketing,” says Rajitha citing as examples the online campaigns and web based marketing that many corporations are embracing as part of their overall marketing and distribution strategies.
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“As the industry evolves at a very fast pace, I think organizations will see the rise of ‘the e-commerce manager’,” he predicts, adding that he’s happy to see the growing trend in Sri Lanka, especially in the travel and tourism sectors. Of course with even the smallest businesses leveraging the gigantic clout of multimedia platforms like Facebook and Twitter, things are only bound to get more exciting. “We are no longer outsiders looking in as companies and as individuals,” Rajitha believes. “We have all become a part of the process.”
Corporations have become quite to embrace these chances to bring consumers into the fold – it means they have an opportunity to understand their client’s requirements to a previously unparalleled degree. Though they are well established today, and count among their many clients’ high profile names like Raffles Hotels and Resorts, Millennium and Copthorne Hotels, Ascott International, Taj Hotels and Anantara Hotels and Resorts and locally Jetwing, John Keells, Aitken Spence and Etisalat, Rajitha hasn’t quite forgotten what the early years were like.
“It was all about getting new business especially when you are new in the market and competing with big agencies at the international level it was tough,” he says. Young Sri Lankans who aspire to be entrepreneurs don’t always get access to the financial aid and expertise they so desperately need. “More than the financial aid I think it’s the expertise,” he opines. “We lack resources and the right knowledge to give guidance and support for start up businesses. Most entrepreneurs don’t go far because of fear of failing and not being able to sustain themselves financially.”
Rajitha’s advice to other would be entrepreneurs is simple. “If you have a true passion for something, learn as much as possible about it, associate with people who can add value to your knowledge and strive to achieve your dream in stable steps.” So equipped, tough decisions can be better made, he believes.
His work schedule continues to be insanely taxing but as CEO he relishes the challenge. “I love being busy with 10 – 12 hour work days - the more I work the more energy I get,” he says, explaining that he’s usually up by 5.30a.m and out of office only around 7.30p.m. He’s been racking up the frequent flyer miles as well – jet setting off to international conferences, exhibitions and speaking engagements.
With eMarketingEye having established a second office in Singapore he says that over 80% of the company’s business is drawn from outside Sri Lanka. However, he hopes to see the tide turn: “In time I see these numbers growing in Sri Lanka and more and more companies will start using the internet for their medium of marketing, awareness and revenue generation.”
In the end, the ICT award is a real validation of something he believes in - ‘If you can dream it, you can achieve it’. His optimism is boundless: “I hope this award symbolizes the same for other youngsters in Sri Lanka, who want to strive to achieve their dreams, that if they have a true passion for something, it is very possible to achieve with hard work and dedication. The sky is not the limit. There is no limit.” |
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